First report of an outbreak of cerebral coenurosis in Dhofari goats in Oman

Abstract

This study documented the first outbreak of cerebral coenurosis in goats in Salalah, southern Oman. Deaths of 130 (16.6%) adult native goats in a herd (n=780) were reported from January to June 2017. Affected goats showed various nervous signs ended by death. Investigations for thiamine deficiency, polioencephalomalacia, caprine arthritis encephalitis, and listeriosis were negative. Upon necropsy, multiple (1-4) thin-walled cysts 2-3.5 cm in diameter containing clear fluid with numerous clusters of protoscolices in the cerebrum and cerebellum had replaced the brain parenchyma, causing space-occupying lesions. Parasitologically, the recovered cysts were Coenurus cerebralis, based on the arrangement of protoscolices, and the number and size of their hooks. Morphologically, each protoscolex had four suckers and a rostellum with double-crown hooks. The large and small hooks were 157.7±0.5 µm and 115±0.6 µm in length, respectively. Histopathologically, the parasite destroyed the affected tissues associated with multifocal to diffuse lymphocytic, non-suppurative meningoencephalitis; ischemic neuronal necrosis; and malacia. This is the first report of cerebral coenurosis in livestock in Oman, which should alert the local public health authorities for the application of prevention and control measures.

Cerebral Coenurosis of a Long-Tailed Goral, Naemorhedus caudatus, in Korea

“…The characteristic clinical signs reported in animals infected with Coenurus cerebralis are dullness, depression, deviation of the head, circling, anorexia, head tilt and uncontrolled movement [ 7 ]. Until recently, interpretations of clinical signs and the sites of infection were one of the best ways to diagnose Coenurus cerebralis infection in small ruminants [ 14 , 15 ]. In this study, the clinical signs of the goral were similar to those reported in previous studies.…”

“…Each protoscolex contained 26–28 hooks arranged in 2 rows of large and small hooks. The average total length of the large and small hooks was 157.7±0.5 μm and 115±0.6 μm, respectively [ 15 ]. In our case, the diameter of the cyst (3×3 cm), and the number of protoscolex (320), and the number and size of the hooks (28/157.5×108.7 μm) were all within the range recorded for Coenurus cerebralis infection caused by T. multiceps .…”

Taenia multiceps coenurosis: a review

“…In Asia, enzootic coenurosis infections have been reported from India (2.9% in sheep) [ 49 ], Iran (1.7–18.6% in sheep and goats) [ 29 , 50 – 53 ], Bangladesh (2.5% in calves and 5% in Beetal goats) [ 54 , 55 ], Pakistan (0.4% in sheep and goats) [ 56 ], Japan [ 57 ] and Russia [ 58 ]. In the Middle East, cerebral coenurosis is a major endemic disease affecting small ruminants, most notably in Turkey, Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan [ 59 , 60 ], with prevalences of 2.9% in Jordanian sheep [ 61 ], 22.8–23.68% in Iraqi sheep and goats [ 62 , 63 ], 1.3–28.5% in Turkish sheep [ 64 , 65 ], and 16.6% in Dafuri goats in Oman [ 59 ]. A recent study in the El Menoufia Province of Egypt found C. cerebralis in 3.03% of sheep (26.4% of clinical cases) [ 66 ], which was significantly lower than the previously reported infection rates of 18–100% [ 14 , 67 ].…”

First Report on Molecular Characterization of Taenia multiceps Isolates From Sheep and Goats in Faisalabad, Pakistan

“…Intermediate hosts including sheep and goats often become infected following feeding on vegetation and water contaminated by eggs from dogs (5,6). This is followed by the development of the larval stage in different tissues including the brain, muscles, and skin (7,8). The parasite completes its life cycle when the definitive hosts consume poorly discarded infected carcasses, (9).…”